For safety and security reasons, these is a need for a versatile camera system which may be used for surveillance without detection. In a commercial or residential setting, these applications are both numerous and obvious. In an outside location, such as a loading dock, such a system is needed for security and safety of the personnel, vehicles and the goods involved. Additionally, in a motor vehicle, especially a heavy vehicle such as a tractor trailer or a garbage truck, concerns include vandalism, traffic safety and overcoming obscured or blind spots during normal operation and backing up the vehicle.
Drivers of highway trucks, garbage trucks and other large vehicles often have a very small field of vision as to traffic or obstacles behind their vehicles. In order to see a wider field, larger mirrors and more outwardly displaced mirrors are commonly found on these large vehicles. These mirrors, due to both their size and location, however, are susceptible to damage, wind resistance, wind noise and other driver distractions. Regardless of the mirror position, there will likely remain some area in the rear of the vehicle which is obscured from view, commonly known as a “blind spot.” In fact, as the vehicle size increases, so does the rear blind spot.
Many commercial and industrial vehicles presently perform complicated and/or multiple tasks. For example, one typical garbage truck design involves a cantilevered powered arm which grasps and lifts a trash container, raising it to dump the contents into the waste bin of the truck. For an application such as this, multiple camera images would be beneficial to the driver. Some of these images might include the rear of the vehicle, the jaws of the cantilevered arm and the opening of the trash hopper of the vehicle. To date, none of the above delineated concerns or needs have been adequately addressed.
For example, the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,321 to Secor, includes cameras mounted on the sides of the vehicle in order to improve the blind spot view. The cameras contemplated in that invention are bulky objects, which protrude from the sides of the vehicle. As such, these cameras are highly susceptible to damage from inclement weather, scrapes on the side of the vehicle as well as falling road debris. In addition, any bumping of the camera or its mounting will likely disturb the field of vision of the camera, rendering it useless for the proposed task. Finally, these large cameras are clearly noticeable and detectable, making them excellent targets for vandalism, theft or other mistreatment. In addition, such a large system, when used for security purposes, is often counterproductive, as it alerts would be thieves of an important cargo.
Conventional camera systems are also typically visually undesirable. Large systems, as discussed above, are obtrusive and become targets for malcontents and criminals. Moreover, should the subject realize they are under surveillance they may either become uncomfortable and exit the premises or vehicle. Alternatively, if surveillance is perceived, the subject, whether they are an outside individual or even an employee, may take action to end the operation of the device, such as disconnection of power or damage to the camera. Lastly, conventional cameras may distract from the aesthetic appeal of the interior or exterior of the premises or vehicle on which they are mounted.
A concealed camera system was proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,065 to Steed, whereby a vehicle light serves as a cavity for a concealed camera. That system, however, is highly deficient for the above described needs. In the Steed system, the camera is mounted in a vehicular fixture and the camera views a field through a cover, which is typically a colored transparent surface. That system has numerous inherent shortcomings, such as the need for a vehicular light source, in part due to the colored covering over the lens. This would preclude its use without a light source and in some positions on a vehicle, the light may actually draw unwanted attention to the camera assembly. Similarly, having to view the image through a colored lens will necessarily distort or artificially color the image. Moreover, the colored lens will detract from and may even preclude the reception of a clear image, especially at night or in darkened conditions. Without a colored lens, the camera element would be clearly visible to an outside observer, defeating the stealth or concealed operation of the camera. Also, the Steed system does not describe nor contemplate the use of multiple synchronized cameras for different operations of a vehicle and the desirable automatic synchronization of the multiple cameras, other than a reliance upon the turn signal indicator elements which must be engaged by the operator.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a concealed camera system that requires no artificial light, that has a lens which may be directly exposed to the ambient image and is of a size whereby it may be placed in a variety of undetectable housings or concealment arrangements.